The death of physical media has been quick and painless as at a first glance, the consumer has only benefitted from recent changes. With the death of the CD, DVD, and book, a person can now access nearly limitless entertainment online for the relatively small price of a subscription to one of the myriad streaming services. Still, is it possible that the downfall of physical media has had unintended consequences which cheapen the experience of art consumption in the modern world? I believe the answer is clearly in the affirmative.
Physical Media has a multitude of benefits that cannot be found in the electronic consumption methods currently used. Firstly, physical media required commitment to a work of art. Purchasing a record or a DVD meant a much larger investment into a tangible piece of art. This means that the consumer is much more likely to engage with the art frequently and on a deeper level. If I spend 20 dollars buying a movie, you bet I’m going to watch it more than one time. Physical media also encourages intentionality in artistic enjoyment. Because access is more limited, one has to be more careful in choosing what work of art to invest time and money into. There is no longer a bottomless well of options available to the consumer through the internet so a more serious decision is required long before the listening, watching, or reading starts. This holds true on the producer’s side of things as well with companies having to invest more money into each artist and therefore being more careful about who they give the greenlight to. Finally, physical media provides a natural container for artistic expression which forces artist to be more nuanced and complicated in their work. An album, book, or movie, in a sense provides a canvas for the artist to work on which is a far cry from the world of today where short form content, 3-minute pop songs, and tabloids have all but replaced art.
Limitations and downsides of the new electronic medium must also be mentioned. With the rise of short form social media content, it seems that artistic endeavors have been trimmed downed and designed to appeal to the basest animal instinct. Songs have to be catchy and loud and above all, short. Movie need to have short clips that can be shared over social media to generate hype for the project. It seems that the new electronic medium for art has made things much more superficial and shallower. To illustrate the problem further ask yourself: would anyone ever buy the record of a song they heard on TikTok?
However not all is bad with the streaming consumption model. It is true that democratization and accessibility of art have increased. It is possible for anyone, anywhere to find almost any piece of music ever recorded with a simple Spotify subscription. Furthermore, anyone, anywhere can share their own music on Spotify enabling smaller artists and creators. These positives cannot be overlooked when critiquing the modern art landscape. What then is the solution? Should we seek to return entirely to physical media? I think the answer lies in accepting that the streaming model of artistic consumption is here to stay and coming up with new, innovative ways to preserve the depth and nuance of art within the constraints of the online world.